Could use some help solving a design issue

[WarrenP]

Hi folks,

After using my garbage can with a piece of plywood thrown on top of it as a secondary workspace almost every time I'm in the shop for the last couple weeks, I've decided to build a smaller, mobile workbench for tasks where the ability to approach a workpiece from all sides is useful. Sort of like a kitchen island, but for sawing and drilling

I've got a few conveniences planned, one of which is adding the ability to clamp workpieces directly to the benchtop with C-clamps. But since I'm using a normal box frame design for the bench, I'm going to need to make holes for the clamps.

In the picture, I've drawn in red the places the clamps could go. This would be done on all four sides.

My questions to you are:

1. What's the best way of making these cuts? The tools I have on hand are a jigsaw, compound miter saw, drill press, hand drill, and hand tools. I'm sorta thinking I could drill holes in the corners of the cutouts and use the jigsaw from there. Yes? No?
2. Is there a better route to solving this problem? I'm in a situation where all I really know is C-clamps, thus every problem becomes a... well, a problem to be solved with C-clamps.

Any advice you guys can offer would be appreciated.

 

[bobbycos]

i would drill holes the use the jigsaw

 

[rlitman]

Woodworkers would drill holes in the benchtop and use a holdfast.

 

[WarrenP]

Okay, I just looked up holdfasts, and those look amazing. Thanks, rlitman!

I can definitely see them in my future. But they seem to work best with much thicker work surfaces, and this bench is only 24"x24" in size.

Being able to clamp from the edge brings some benefits in this particular situation.

 

[WQ59B]

Consider attaching HD angle iron to 1 (or more) sides of the top, then you can clamp wherever & how many places you want, plus you have a true straight edge and something you can hammer against.

I have an 8-ft piece of 3.5-in angle, 1/4-in thick, across the face of my bench, and I love it. Something smaller but still sturdy would offer much more flexibility in clamping.

 

[Roady94]

I'm in a situation where all I really know is C-clamps, thus every problem becomes a... well, a problem to be solved with C-clamps.

I guess that leaves you cutting the holes with C-clamps.

Jokes aside, remove the top. Use the jig saw to cut a kerf across the grain at both ends of each notch. Knock out the waste and clean up the notch with a chisel. Put the top back on.

 

[drivesitfar]

they have those little work benches that fold up like a chair and i can't seem to remember the name of them right this second. Workmate maybe?? they also work as a vise. then when you are done using them they fold up and you can put against a wall or in a slot between a workbench and a wall.

if you really want to just drill out those spots where the red tape is then drill and jig saw would be my choice. take the top off then drill in the two corners and jigsaw out to the holes.

good luck

 

[buening]

they have those little work benches that fold up like a chair and i can't seem to remember the name of them right this second. Workmate maybe?? they also work as a vise. then when you are done using them they fold up and you can put against a wall or in a slot between a workbench and a wall.

Black and Decker Workmate?

 

[48fordnut]

Workmates or their copies are amazing. I use several and they work well.
I even have one with a solid piece of ply for my whizzer run stand.

 

[WarrenP]

Thanks for all the replies, guys!

I'm loving the angle iron idea, especially.

I've seen the Workmates before, and I may get one eventually. A big part of why I decided to do this myself was to get more practice at some basic fabrication tasks and problem solving, with the bonus of being able to customize as much as I want.

 

[DGK]

It would be great if you could leave the top hang over the sides about 2 inches all the way around, that way you can clamp anywhere along any side. Maybe make the 2x4 frame smaller since you cut the top already? Just a thought.

 

[Kevin54]

If you are ever down this way, I have a workmate I'd give you. It was my dads, and just hangs in the shed. I'm a sawhorse, sheet of OSB guy myself.

 

[WarrenP]

It would be great if you could leave the top hang over the sides about 2 inches all the way around, that way you can clamp anywhere along any side. Maybe make the 2x4 frame smaller since you cut the top already? Just a thought.

That's a good idea. I'll check it out when I'm at home. My concern is that with the top only being 24"x24", reducing the footprint below that will make it less stable.

 

[WarrenP]

If you are ever down this way, I have a workmate I'd give you. It was my dads, and just hangs in the shed. I'm a sawhorse, sheet of OSB guy myself.

Thanks! What part of Ohio are you in?

 

[Kevin54]

Urbana. Just about 10 minutes north of Springfield.

 

[daveroy]

ok, just asking.. but why do the holes for the clamps have to be square?
I would drill each end with a 1" bit, then connect the two with a saw. sand the edges a bit for comfort and whal-a. Make them wide enough and you also have handles on each end you can grab to lift the table if needed.

 

[WarrenP]

ok, just asking.. but why do the holes for the clamps have to be square?

They probably don't. Maybe I'll look into some larger drill bits if I don't go the angle iron route.

Thanks for the idea!

 

[BFBOB]

Holdfasts are great - I use them. But, they require access to the underside of the workbench to pop the studs up, assuming you'll leave the studs down in their counterbores when not using the holdfasts. If I understand correctly, all but the corners of your work surface will be inaccessible, inside the trash can. So, you're back to c-clamps.

 

[WarrenP]

Holdfasts are great - I use them. But, they require access to the underside of the workbench to pop the studs up, assuming you'll leave the studs down in their counterbores when not using the holdfasts. If I understand correctly, all but the corners of your work surface will be inaccessible, inside the trash can. So, you're back to c-clamps.

I'm building legs for what you saw in the picture. The top isn't even secured to the frame as yet. In fact, I'm going to start over today since everything came out a little lopsided, and the top doesn't sit flush on the frame right now. The existing frame might get used for the bottom shelf instead.

But yeah, holdfasts, as awesome as they are, don't seem appropriate for this particular project. I'm glad to know about them now, however.

 

[rlitman]

Holdfasts are great - I use them. But, they require access to the underside of the workbench to pop the studs up

No they do not. You use a mallet on the top to tighten them, and a whack to the side to release. Absolutely no hammering to the underside is necessary (or a good idea for that matter).

It is a little hard to describe, so I looked on youtube to show you an example of how they are set and released:

 

[WarrenP]

The top is coming along nicely.

I ended up cutting holes for clamps rather than going the angle iron route. Angle iron would have added significantly to the cost of the project (since I don't have a source for cheap scrap available), and the single choice available in the correct size wasn't what I wanted.

The drill then cut with a jigsaw approach worked like a champ for the clamping holes anyway. I was originally going to put them on all four sides, but in the end I think having them on only two will be plenty.

The last picture shows a closeup of the underside, where I marked each end of each piece with a number and arrow to indicate orientation and placement when drilling so I could get everything matched up when it came time to assemble.

I'll be starting on the legs tomorrow. My original plan was to put casters on the legs, but I'm questioning that now. This isn't going to be so heavy as to be difficult to move around.

On a related note, the Harbor Freight Corner Clamp with Quick Release is junk. The quick release functionality seems to be its achilles heel, as when trying to tighten down one of the screws, it kept skipping and loosening back up. I wouldn't be surprised if the quick release thread is made of plastic or really cheap metal. That will be going back tomorrow.

 

[BFBOB]

No they do not. You use a mallet on the top to tighten them, and a whack to the side to release. Absolutely no hammering to the underside is necessary (or a good idea for that matter).

It is a little hard to describe, so I looked on youtube to show you an example of how they are set and released:

Your post gave me a giant HUH???:

So I followed the link. I had completely forgotten about this type of holdfast. The kind I use is made by Jorgenson/AdjustableClampCo, and is totally different. I don't have a link handy, but they're sold by good woodworking shops like Rockler, Woodcraft, etc. There's a stud that fits loosely into a hole in the benchtop. It has a mushroom head that fits down into a counterbore when not in use. To use, you reach under the bench and push the stud up. The clamp then has a t-slot that slides over the head, and a screw that clamps down on your workpiece. No hammer involved!

Ah, here it is: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000DD1RD/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[WarrenP]

Your post gave me a giant HUH???:

So I followed the link. I had completely forgotten about this type of holdfast. The kind I use is made by Jorgenson/AdjustableClampCo, and is totally different. I don't have a link handy, but they're sold by good woodworking shops like Rockler, Woodcraft, etc. There's a stud that fits loosely into a hole in the benchtop. It has a mushroom head that fits down into a counterbore when not in use. To use, you reach under the bench and push the stud up. The clamp then has a t-slot that slides over the head, and a screw that clamps down on your workpiece. No hammer involved!

Ah, here it is: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000DD1RD/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Very nice. I can see these coming in handy on some projects.

 

[BFBOB]

Everyone has a cheap source of angle iron: old bedframes. A few bux at Goodwill or the ilk, or easy to find cruising alleys. Some say they're getting more scarce as people grab them quickly to sell for scrap. But at a dime a pound for steel, how could it be worth the gas?? If you do go that way, be aware that the stuff is frequently harder and more brittle than hardware store steel. It's easy to cut with a hacksaw, but can eat Sawzall blades unless you go really slow. Drilling can be difficult too. Use good bits (cobalt is best) and keep the speed down.
Somewhere here, there are a couple of threads dedicated to projects members have made with bedframe angle.

The top is coming along nicely.

Angle iron would have added significantly to the cost of the project (since I don't have a source for cheap scrap available), and the single choice .

.

 

[WarrenP]

Everyone has a cheap source of angle iron: old bedframes. A few bux at Goodwill or the ilk, or easy to find cruising alleys. Some say they're getting more scarce as people grab them quickly to sell for scrap. But at a dime a pound for steel, how could it be worth the gas?? If you do go that way, be aware that the stuff is frequently harder and more brittle than hardware store steel. It's easy to cut with a hacksaw, but can eat Sawzall blades unless you go really slow. Drilling can be difficult too. Use good bits (cobalt is best) and keep the speed down.
Somewhere here, there are a couple of threads dedicated to projects members have made with bedframe angle.

This is funny. I have an old bedframe I've been kicking around for the last two years and getting progressively more annoyed at.

 

[BFBOB]

This is funny. I have an old bedframe I've been kicking around for the last two years and getting progressively more annoyed at.

Hmm... I guess you always use Toledo steel.

No, wait, that's a different Toledo